A “soft” caress

Question

The following is a verse of the song Stay up by George Nozuka.

Let me start with a soft caress
Wanna show you I'm not like the rest
So put me to the test
Anything that you feel let it go
Wanna take things nice and slow
So baby lose control
I want this, more than I want anything, anything

In the first line, what does soft mean when it's used to describe a caress, does it mean gentle? From what I've looked up, there are several definitions that seems applicable to the context, however, its example provided describes something else. For example, Dictionary.com sense #4 defines soft as "producing agreeable sensations; pleasant or comfortable", but its example given is soft slumber. Sense #8 defines soft as "gentle or mild" but its example is soft breezes. So what does soft mean used in this context?

Answer 1

You need not discriminate between the two senses; in this case they overlap. (Indeed most such definitions overlap: new senses arise out of old ones because the old sense is pushed a little bit this way or a little bit that way to meet new circumstances.)

Aware that he is being "put to the test", the singer is anxious to show that he is "not like the rest", that he is as concerned for his partner's gratification as his own. So he starts ("wanna take things nice and slow") with a "soft caress", one which is "gentle", not harsh or demanding in order to "produce agreeable sensations" ("that you feel"), which will induce her to lower her defenses, to "let it go" and "lose control".